


Shifting Illusion

by DefendersofMCUniverse (GeekMom13)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Demon Kolivan, Getting Together, M/M, Witch Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26224936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeekMom13/pseuds/DefendersofMCUniverse
Summary: It had been three visits and one ‘fix’ from Matt before they gave up. They barely managed to ward a small space of peace to drag the animals into each time Kolivan visited.Kolivan still did not admit he was a demon- he kept insisting he was human.Lance stared him down, purple fur and bulking form, and nodded.
Relationships: Kolivan/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 49





	Shifting Illusion

Lance was pretty used to odd customers. 

He was the only neutral greenhouse and trinketeer in the state. Everyone was welcome, as long as they followed his simple rules: Be kind while in the neighborhood, don’t harm the area, and respect everyone you encounter. He gladly served Witches, Wiccans, Demons, Angels, Weres, and various other Magical Beings. In turn, most were happy to help him with any issues he came across with plants, offering up unique items or simple spelled trinkets.

Lance never had to worry about his safety- generations of McClains had weaved their protections into the warding of his shop. Occasionally, a customer would fortify them further, and so far, no one had dared to enact their own personal vendettas. One of these had ensured any glamors hiding a being’s true nature would be dropped. 

And that’s how he met Kolivan. 

Kolivan was a demon who… bless him… was trying his hardest to pretend he was human. Someone should probably have taught him what that meant. Because humans certainly did not wear a thick winter jacket and scarf in the middle of August. 

“Excuse me, do you have a sprig of dried amaranth?”

“Sorry, sir, we only stock that as seeds, a bit too delicate as a full stalk,” Lance reached for them.

“I don’t suppose you stock Cooksonia then?” 

Lance raised an eyebrow, summoning his books. “Sir, that- that plant went extinct a _very_ long time ago.” 

“Oh,” he looked around in a mild panic, “I just remembered I do have an appointment.”

Lance chuckled as he watched the demon slip out the door, the glamor shimmering back into place as he stepped onto the street. His phone started ringing shortly after. 

“Lance’s Little Shop of Herbivores, what can I do for you?”

_“Lance, I thought we agreed- you gotta ward the walls when demons visit!”_

“Sorry, Shiro." Lance prodded at his wards and couldn't find an error, "My wards should have worked! I guess I missed a sect of demons. We’ll figure it out.” 

_“Can you come to help me out with the familiars?”_

“Be there in a few, let me write up a note for the door.” 

There was a click on the other end, and Lance laughed, listening for the sounds next door while he wrapped up some treats for the different animals and temporarily warding the shop closed. He had to try not to laugh harder as he glanced through the window at Shiro.

There were fur and feathers everywhere- in colors that were definitely not in Shiro’s normal stock. Shiro had a virtual ark of animals in his shop, happy to take in any animal who had ‘the spirit of a familiar.’ 

The sound was a painful din. Lance started with the simplest animals, not even bothering to wave at Shiro. He quickly had the cats curling back up in the corners of the shop, soothed by his magic and temporary sound dampening.

Lance quickly herded the puppies into their normal large pen next, setting some sachets at each corner. The sounds had significantly died down, and he turned to find Shiro calming the birds, so he finished up the other animals. 

“Thanks. I haven’t seen them react that way since you got those wards set up.” 

Lance rubbed the back of his neck, reaching out to one of the snakes that always seemed to follow him around. “I didn’t recognize his markings; it might take a bit to sort. He was asking for stock in something that hasn’t even been around in _preserved_ form or _fairy’s tales_ in damn near three centuries.” 

Shiro hummed, herding the animals from their quarantine to their normal beds. “I guess we could call in some help? Can you talk to Matt? He’s pretty good with the demonic sects.” 

* * *

It had been three visits and one ‘fix’ from Matt before they gave up. They barely managed to ward a small space of peace to drag the animals into each time Kolivan visited. 

Kolivan still did not admit he was a demon- he kept insisting he was human. 

Lance stared him down, purple fur and bulking form, and nodded. 

He would just have to wait for the demon to trust him. Kolivan definitely wasn’t coming in for things he was using- any demon could easily make summoning stones and cheering potions. Though, the strangest one he bought was a dropper of pure hellfire oil. That was the point when Lance almost snapped. He had worked _hard_ to earn the trust of the crossroads demon to get the oil, and now it was gone. Shiro had intervened a little after that- he was sick of the cleanup every time. 

The next time Kolivan came in, Shiro burst in shortly after, a rainbow-coated llama in tow. “That’s it. Lance, you _need_ to get this under control! And _you,”_ he pointed at Kolivan, “need to tell him what kind of demon you are so we can fix the warding!” 

Shiro made it halfway back out before Kolivan was denying being a demon. 

“No!” He shouted, gently stroking the llama when it startled, “You _are not a human._ This is not some secret. This store is warded against all illusions. Now. I’m going to try and sort my animals, _again._ Lance, come over after. I _obviously_ need a bit of help.” 

The llama nipped at one of the herb bundles as Shiro marched back out of the store. “Also, Lance, if you can’t fix her coat, you have a new familiar.” 

Lance laughed and figured he’d better look up llama care because there’s only so much pigment you can magic away, and that poor llama had been through a rough few months. 

“So, you’ve known all along?” Kolivan asked Lance.

Lance looked at the floor but nodded. 

“And you never said anything when I-”

“Why would I?”

Kolivan motioned to the air. “Revealing wards typically mean you’d rather know.”

Lance smiled. _“Revealing wards_ means my Grandmother didn’t suffer a liar well.” 

“And do you?”

Lance shrugged it off. “So, what sect of Demon _are you?”_

Kolivan smiled. “Kolivan, Sower of Discord Demon, at your service.” 

“Chaos. How did we _not_ figure that out sooner?” 

Lance turned his back to Kolivan, flipping through books and books to try and find the spell he needed to ward the wall on Shiro’s side to help dampen the effect Kolivan was having. He muttered under his breath after a while about how old _is_ he that none of these books had any information on his sect. 

“I believe I’m 972 years old by Earth years. It’s always difficult to keep track, though.”

Lance turned around, still holding the book. “How is it _hard_ to keep track of?” 

“I rarely come visit Earth,” he waved his hands around, and the shop groaned under the stress of the attempted magic, “Oh, well, that’s rare.”

Lance smiled. “Nan has a mean protection spell.” 

Kolivan smiled at him. “It appears so. That explains why a little witch fears no demons.” 

“Oh, no, I _fear_ demons… when they can’t get into the store.” 

Kolivan nodded. “Well, I find humans have a distaste for my general,” he paused while he thought of the right word, “effect on the area, much like the man with the strange horse. So I stay hidden between my tasks.”

Lance closed the book. “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to cook for you when we go on our date.” 

“Date?”

“Listen. I know you don’t _need_ hellfire oil, especially not pure.”

Kolivan scoffed. “That was _hardly_ pure.” 

“What?” Lance shrieked, “I was promised it was!”

“Pure hellfire oil would not be contained in such a container. That was a passable strength that would do everything a human could need.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “I was promised _pure_ oil, so he must have had some reason to not give it.” 

Kolivan laughed. “I will return it, and bring in some _actual_ oil in a proper container.” 

Lance crossed his arms and huffed. _“Anyways,_ if you didn’t need that, you had a reason to visit. You’re not spying on anyone else; you’re not buying anything that can make a spell… So you’re coming to see me. So, I figure I’m either going to _die,_ which probably would’ve happened already or my wards would’ve stopped your entry…. Or I have a chance at a date.” 

Kolivan blushed at that.

“So, what do you say? Have some nice home-cooked food in an area you can destroy?”

“That sounds delightful.” 


End file.
